Subway Bread Cannot be Defined as Bread, Irish Court Rules

When is bread not actually bread? When it’s Subway bread, according to a ruling by the Irish Court. The case in question was brought by Bookfinders Ltd, Subway’s Irish Franchise, who sought to make their sandwiches tax exempt under Ireland’s Value-Added Tax Act of 1972 that allows such exemptions for staple foods.

The court declined, saying Subway bread could not be defined as a staple food due to its high sugar content. Rather it falls into the category of ‘discretionary indulgence.’

One six-inch sub roll contains 5g of sugar, or 10% of the weight of the flour included in the dough. The cutoff for sugar is set at 2% of the weight of the flour in Ireland in order to qualify for the definition of bread as a staple food.

Unhealthy adaptations of traditional staple foods are common in the fast-food industry and we are encouraged that a line can be drawn (even if it is for financial rather than health reasons). If you’re looking for an alternative nutrient-dense, high fiber, gluten-free and vegan bread recipe, check out one of our favorites here: The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread.

Author: Kara Fitzgerald, ND

https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/

Kara Fitzgerald, ND, received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She completed the first Counsel on Naturopathic Medicine-accredited post-doctorate position in nutritional biochemistry and laboratory science at Metametrix Clinical Laboratory under the direction of Richard Lord, PhD. Her residency was completed at Progressive Medical Center, a large, integrative medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Fitzgerald is the lead author and editor of Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine and is a contributing author to Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)’s Textbook for Functional Medicine. With the Helfgott Research Institute, Dr. Fitzgerald is actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. The first publication from the study focuses on reversal of biological aging and was published 04-12-2021 in the journal Aging. She has published a consumer book titled Younger You as well as a companion cookbook, Better Broths and Healing Tonics and has an application-based Younger You Program, based on the study. Dr. Fitzgerald is on the faculty at IFM, is an IFM Certified Practitioner and lectures globally on functional medicine. She runs a Functional Nutrition Residency program, and maintains a podcast series, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine and an active blog on her website, www.drkarafitzgerald.com. Her clinical practice is in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Additional publications

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Subway Bread Cannot be Defined as Bread, Irish Court Rules

Author: Kara Fitzgerald, ND

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